Brotherly Love
by Kelseygirl
Summary: Sometimes, unexpected things happen. (chapter 2 added. Please R&R)
1. Mistakes and Fear

WARNING: This story has alot of blood in it and can be depressing at times.

Read on and be scared.....

DISCLAIMER: Me no own. You no own. Hoorah.

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"They're coming to get me." he thought, _"Theres no way out this time. Thery're coming to get me."_

"I can hear them now. Its too late. They're coming to get me."

The pounding on the door countinued. He grabbed the tightly wrapped, burning, poison paper off of the floor and sucked the life out of it. 

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"Its too late." he thought again, _"They're coming to get me."_

He heard a loud yell from outside the door, "Ok Frasier, open the door! Im not kidding this time! I dont know what the hell you're doin' in there, but I can hear you!!" Roz hit the wood with her fist for what seemed to be the thousandth time that evening, "Open up!!" she yelled in vain.

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"Its too late now. They know my name."

"Frasier?!" Niles called, "Open the door! We know what youve been hiding now! Just give it up!" there was an angry edge to his voice.

_ "I have to kill them."_ He said silently, _"Kill the spiders." _

Once again, Frasier grasped the bloody knife that lay on the coffee table in his pale, sweaty hand. The "spiders" were all around him now, circling with their fangs that dripped deadly poison. The largest spider, the leader with glowing red eyes lunged at him. He swung the knife at his imaginary attacker, but missed and drove the sharp blade into his arm with intense pain that he could not feel. In his mind he had killed the spider, it was sliced in half and its blood, not his own was the blood running out of his arm. 

"SERVES YOU RIGHT!!" he screamed to the fake, dead spider. 

"Frasier?" Roz shouted through the door, "Frasier, who in the name of god are you talking to?" 

Frasier swung again at the remaining "spiders" that crawled up his arm, slashing deep gashes in his flesh. The carpet grew redder. He slashed over and over again, untill he felt so weak, that he dropped the long, blood-stained silver knife on to the floor and collapsed into a bloody heap on his side. He breathing became more and more labored, untill it was accompanied by a gasp and a wheeze. The effects of the drug were begining to wear off and he could now identify the voice behind the door as someone other than a stalker.

"Roz?........" he called weakly, "Roz, help me Roz! I cant....Im...." he trailed off.

"Frasier? I heard you honey. What is it? Did you hurt hurt your back again? Oh great. Wheres Daphne?"

"No." he responded softly.

"Roz dont act like you dont know whats wrong with him!!" Niles yelled, "Hes a fricking crackhead and I have proof, damnit!" he practically screamed, shoving Roz out of the way. She landed hard on the floor of the hallway with a loud "thump." "Ow, Niles! Stop it!" she yelled, standing up and trying to push him back.

It was too late.

Niles shoved open the door.

For a moment, there was silence, as the two brothers stared at each other. Niles' eyes welled up with tears at the sight of his older sibling, the same man he had trusted for his entire life, bleeding to death and gasping for air.

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"Its not him." he thought, _"He's too skinny and pale. Theres no way_."

Suddenly, the younger of the two felt hot anger rising in his throat. It filled his mouth with a sickening feeling, untill he couldnt control it anymore. He wandered over to his brother, who followed him fearfully with glazed, cloudy eyes. 

"Niles..........." he gasped, "Dear god, help me."

Niles kicked him in the chest with all his force. Frasier felt what little air he had, forced out of him. He coughed loudly and spat blood onto the already soaked carpet. Pain and blood filled his lungs and he felt like he couldnt breathe anymore.

"Niles..........Im so sorry..." he managed to cough before collapsing again into blackness.

And suddenly, Niles wished he never had done that.

Part two to come!


	2. Revalations or something rather.

Part 2 jus 4 u.  
  
dIsClAiMeR: sigh I dont own you. I dont own them. I dont own the creatures in my head. OK?? ok.  
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"Well, he couldnt die..... could he?"  
The red-lipped receptionist didnt look up from the harlequin romance she was reading, "Im not a doctor hun." she responded boringly. Niles looked down at her nametag.   
"Thanks anyway, Jenny." he sighed, leaving the white desk for the long, sterile corridor. It was chilly in the hospital. Almost unbearably chilly. "And everything is white." he thought, "Everything. Its so cold." The smell of Pine-Sol and antibacterial soap was begining to sting his nose. He stopped walking and sneezed loudly.   
"Dammit." he muttered under his breath. Niles looked around, fearful and yet, hopeful, that he would soon find his brother's room.   
He was standing right in front of it.  
His hand reached for the freezing steel, but he retracted it at the last minute.  
  
"Do I really want to go in there?" he thought sadly, "Do I really want to know whats behind there?"  
  
"I have to."  
His hand finnaly reached the cold metal, and gave it a sharp downward twist while shoving open the door. He closed his eyes and stepped meakly into the small, white room. Then he took a deep breath and opened them. He was assaulted by the coldness of the small room, the same brutal, white, uncaring feeling the whole hospital gave him. He shivered as his eyes wandered around, studying his surroundings.   
Finnaly, they came to rest on the pale, thin figure lying lifelessly in the hospital bed. There were so many tubes and wires connected to him, Niles could barely identify his own brother. The only sign of life was the consistent beeping of the heart monitor and the barely audible sound of uneasy breathing from under the oxygen mask.  
  
"They said if he wakes up, he has a good chance." he heard a woman speaking slowly to someone from the other side of the room.   
"Daphne!" Thought Niles exitedly, "Daphne, thank god your here! I cant do this alone."  
"Daphne?!" he called. She looked up slowly.  
"Niles?" she responded before jumping out of her chair to embrace him. It was then he noticed the other woman. She had her head in her hands, and was sobbing pitifully.  
"Roz?" he said softly, "Oh god Roz, Im so sorry."  
She didnt look up.  
  
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"Niles?" said Roz as she dragged the man out into the hallway, "I need to talk to you."   
They stopped in front of a vending machine.  
"Yes Roz?"  
Roz looked more nevous than Niles had ever seen her before. Her palms were sweaty, her face was pale and tear streaked, and she was breathing heavily.  
"Niles.........I think im in love with Frasier."  
Niles looked at her, "What?!"  
She nodded, "Yes. And if he dies before I can tell him, I........I........dont know what Ill do...." with that she burst into tears and launched herself into Niles' arms instinctivley.   
Niles stared at her blankly, "But..... theres no way........ Are you sure this cant be just a reaction to everything thats happening so suddenly.... I mean, really Roz, Frasier and you?"  
"Niles, I am positive," she sobbed, "You knew that you loved Daphne the first day you saw her! With me its different. It took me a long time to figure out my feelings for Frasier......but now I know....." she looked up at him and cried softly, "But its still love, Niles, no matter what..... Besides, how much do you and Daph have in common?"  
Niles studied her for a minute. She was right. No matter how you fall in love with someone, its still love. And it will work out if you make it work, just like with him and Daphne. But everything was happening so fast.......  
"Roz?" he lifted her chin up slowly, "Itll be fine. Everything will be fine....... Frasier.....well, he'll be fine too. Just wait and see. Everything will go back to normal soon."  
But thats what they said when his mother was in the hospital, "She'll be fine, everything will be fine. Everything will go back to normal, just wait and see."  
And he waited, and he saw, but Hester Crane was not fine, she died. And things did not go back to normal. He still missed her. Sometimes it felt like a chunk of him was missing too, buried in the ground with his mother's body. Cold, pale, thin, and dead. Now it seemed that the same thing was happening with his brother. Niles wanted to belive that he would be ok, everything would be ok. But in the back of his mind, he felt that it wouldnt be fine, nothing would be. His mother's death rang loud and clear in his very thoughts. It was a memory he had pushed back into the far corners of his mind, and left there, hopefully forever. But it was resurfacing again. The waiting, the fear, the loneliness and feeling of abandonment were becoming fresh again.   
Roz nodded and turned to go back into Frasier's room.  



	3. Compassion.

Part threezies.  
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Niles Crane didn't sleep much that night. What little sleep he did receive was restless and light. Even after Daphne's desperate attempt to console him, he only tossed and turned in his bed, before giving up altogether and staring at the ceiling, thinking of Frasier's last words to him.  
He had apologized. Even after Niles had reacted so rashly. Obviously, his brother knew something was wrong, and knew how it had affected Niles. So, he apologized, hoping for Niles to accept it with some sort of understanding. But he hadn't, well at least not then. Now, with his guilt level through the roof, Niles realized that he had to get to the root of Frasier's problem, for his own sake, and Frasier's.   
And so, the next morning, Niles sat pouring over his physcology books with tired eyes. Yet he failed to see why Frasier might have done something so strange. Perhaps he was lonely, or depressed, or both. It could be a woman, but Niles doubted this, considering the kind of women Frasier dates. But still, there was a chance.   
Niles thought about the last woman Frasier had been with. Her name was Endolynn, and seemed to be the same stuffy, sophisticate lady as...well...anyone Frasier had a relationship with. But there was something strange that Niles noticed about her, the way her eyes looked, or the way she acted sometimes that set him off.   
And after a while, he decided the best way to sort this out would be to ask Frasier personally.  
  
If he ever got the chance...  
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A few hours later, Niles returned to hospital. Upon entering his brother's room, he automatically turned to look at Frasier. Noticing that he was awake, Niles let out a sigh of relief.  
"Frasier?" He questioned cheerfully.  
Frasier, who was staring out the window with tired, cloudy eyes slowly, turned in the direction of his voice. He smiled softly, "Hey Niles."  
Niles pulled a chair over to his bed and sat down, "How are you?"  
"Fine I guess. Although this thing is annoying as hell." He responded, looking pointedly at the IV in his arm.  
The other man laughed softly. Then silence filled the room, as they looked at each other slowly.  
"Why Frasier?" Asked Niles finally, "Why did you do that?! God, do you know how much that hurt me...and Roz?!" He added staring into the light blue of Frasier's eyes.   
Frasier looked down slowly, "I didn't want to..." he said gently, sighing. Then he rolled over on his other side and sighed again, "Niles, I didn't mean to hurt you or Roz... I wouldn't even think of doing that if it weren't for..." he trailed off, realizing he had said too much.  
Niles' eyes softened a bit, as did his voice, "Endolynn?"  
Suddenly, Frasier seemed to clench up a little, and rolled over on his back. Niles noticed a rather large bruise on his chest where he had kicked him.  
"How did you know?!" He questioned, fearfully.  
Niles stood up, "Frasier I didn't know before, and it was just a guess. But now you seemed to have confirmed that! Frasier...I just don't get it!"  
They were both silent as Niles rubbed his temples and Frasier looked at the floor uncomfortably.   
"Just don't tell her that you know..." said the older one quietly.  
Their eyes met slowly, and upon seeing the terror in his brother's eyes, Niles felt a pang of fear stab his heart.   
"Frasier...why?" He questioned softly, already knowing the answer, but hoping, praying to God that his suspicions would not be confirmed, "Oh God, she isn't...Frasier? What is she doing to you?"  
"Nothing." He muttered, turning his head so he wouldn't have to meet Niles' painful stare. But the younger sibling could tell by the hurt look in his eyes, that something was wrong.  
"Frasier, please tell me."  
"I can't."  
"Please." The tears stung the back of his eyes as he spoke.  
"Niles, I can't....."  
"Frasier, I'm begging you...please tell me...."  
Frasier took a deep shaky breath, and closed his eyes. A single tear fell from his eye and ran down his cheek slowly, "Niles...she...she...oh God, Niles...." He whimpered.  
"Frasier...I'm so sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you...I didn't know you went through all this... I'm so sorry..." Niles looked hopefully at Frasier, who looked back and squeezed his hand tightly for support.  
"It's ok..." he whispered, "You were just scared, that's all. I am too."  
"I still feel awful though..."  
Frasier looked up at his brother and smiled softly, through tear stained eyes.  
"Don't."  
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End file.
